Don't be left on the sidelines

Don't be left on the sidelines

We think that Mobile Marketing is poised to become a mainstream tactic just as Web, direct mail, email blasts and advertising are used to prospect, build brands and drive revenue. The exciting thing is that mobile marketing is not just for the big boys. No matter the size of your business or organization, in 2010 you should consider including SMS in your communications and promotions– otherwise you’ll miss an excellent opportunity to connect with your audiences. To be successful, the program must be correctly executed and to do so, you’ll need to understand your audience and create offers that speak to their needs.
Luckily there are cost-effective mobile marketing platforms that allow you to stick your toe in the water without significant risk, so you can do some testing and develop the correct strategy. A recent CTIA panel agreed that you should use multiple channels for your mobile marketing, adding it as another component of your traditional marketing.
So get started…think out of the box, use what you already have in place, and make sure your mobile call to action is integrated into all of your traditional activities.
Now you must be wondering what Mobile marketing is?
Mobile marketing can refer to one of two categories of marketing. First, and relatively new, is meant to describe marketing on or with a mobile device, such as a mobile phone. Second, and a more traditional definition, is meant to describe marketing in a moving fashion - for example - technology road shows or moving billboards.

Marketing on a mobile phone has become increasingly popular ever since the rise of SMS (Short Message Service) in the early 2000s in Europe and some parts of Asia when businesses started to collect mobile phone numbers and send off wanted (or unwanted) content.

Over the past few years SMS has become a legitimate advertising channel. This is due to the fact that unlike email over the public internet, the carriers who police their own networks have set guidelines and best practices for the mobile media industry (including mobile advertising). The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) and the MMA (Mobile Marketing Association), as well, has established guidelines and evangelizing the use of the mobile channel for marketers.

mobile marketing via sms has expanded rapidly in Europe and Asia as a new channel to reach the consumer. SMS initially received negative media coverage in many parts of Europe for being a new form of spam as some advertisers purchased lists and sent unsolicited content to consumer's phones; however, as guidelines are put in place by the mobile operators, SMS has become the most popular branch of the Mobile Marketing industry with several 100 million advertising SMS sent out every month in Europe alone.
Mobile Marketing via MMS: Brands are delivering promotional content such as mobile music to mobile games to drive consumer engagement. This mobile content is delivered via MMS (Multimedia Message Service). Brands are also leveraging consumer generated content.

Mobile Web Marketing: Advertising on web pages specifically meant for access by mobile devices is also an option. The MMA (Mobile Marketing Association) provides a set of guidelines and standards that give the recommended format of ads, presentation, and metrics used in reporting. Google, Yahoo, and other major mobile content providers have been selling advertising placement on their properties for years already as of the time of this writing. Advertising Networks focused on mobile properties and advertisers are also available.

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